The White Man's Burden: Introduction

One of the recurring phrases used by people in arguments is “they just don’t get it.” It expresses the belief that one’s position is the only logical, reasonable, sensible one, and if the other side could simply hear that position spelled out clearly, they would embrace it.

It’s rarely effective or useful, but I’m going to give it a whirl anyway. I’m going to spell out, in excruciating detail, just why I think the war in Iraq was right and necessary, and why I support it to this day.

You might want to get a beverage, or hit the facilities; this is going to be a long one. In fact, it’s going to take all week to get it all out in a semi-coherent form.

The current plan is for one portion to be published each weekday, at 11:00 a.m. EST. Here's the outline:

Monday -- Part I: From “Feel The Power” to “Fear The Power”
Tuesday -- Part II: “Honor The Threat”
Wednesday -- Part III: You Go To War With The Geopolitical Reality You Have, Not The One You Want
Thursday -- Part IV: The Path To Victory
Friday -- Part V: Who’s Next, or Where Do We Go From Here?

The titles might change before publication (the first draft is finished, at just over 6,500 words), as I'm probably going to be tweaking and editing it right up until each piece is published, but that's a pretty good representation.

As I said last week, this is by far the longest piece I've ever written, and the one that's taken the most work. I think it's worth it, and I hope you'll agree.